Health Enrollment Literacy Program & Services
Hawaii is in desperate need of some Aloha from the millions of people who have visited the islands over the years.
In 2019 according to Hawaii’s tourism authority
Hawaii welcomed 10 million visitors.
Since the mandatory quarantine - Hawaii’s visitors
have dropped to 300-400 a day. 
In April, our unemployment rate was one of the
HIGHEST in the nation at 22.3%.
Hawaii’s department of labor recently reported that over 240,000 people have filed for unemployment. That is more than one third of our workforce!
With loss of jobs, loss of health insurance follows,
and it is expensive. Continuation coverage (COBRA) for family of four could pay
an average of $1700 per month and about $650
for an individual. Funding is needed now to
help with financial assistance
and guidance to keep affordable health insurance.
I am a Talk Show Radio Host and people reach out
to me with insurance questions. In the last few
days, I have received calls from people who lost
their job and health coverage and sometimes learned about it on the same day.
We have offered help
as a community service and there are no fees of
any kind.
Since March, I have personally helped many people get
affordable coverage accessing federal programs
with subsidies. But some can’t even afford that and their prescription drugs are very expensive too. HI-HELPS needs help to help more people.
Earlier today, an individual called to say her
63 year old mom lost her job and her coverage on
June 30. She said her mom can’t pay for her prescription medications that she desperately needs this month. She just can’t afford to pay for health insurance or medications without a job.
People are taking the risk of not maintaining health insurance due to cost. They think they will get called back to work any day now (which is unlikely) and their coverage will be restored. Glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure checks might become elevated leading to ER visits, personal bankruptcy and adverse health outcomes by the Newly unemployed who lost employer health coverage.
Many organizations are providing food and job retraining. Government leaders are
approving financial support for rents and mortgages and prohibiting
landlords from evicting residents. Electric and Cable companies are offering help also. All
great programs but we also need more help to cover health premium payments so they stay insured.
Health Insurance is a critical need.. If an
uninsured person contracts Covid-19 the test may be free but treatment can cost on average $20,000 or more. 
HI-HELPS will keep the community healthy so all tourists can return to a beautiful Hawaii and it’s
beautiful people.
HI-HELPS needs funding so we can reimburse health insurance premiums and prescription drug costs for the hundreds of thousands of Hawaii residents who lost jobs due to the Covid-19 crisis.
HI-HELPS believes this is a “dire need” for the thousands of hotel and restaurant workers and
all other individuals impacted.
HI-HELPS will build awareness of the importance of staying insured, give people tools to find
affordable coverage and explain how we will reimburse costs for needed health insurance and drugs.
HI-HELPS will address this unanticipated hardship experienced by so many Hawaii residents and
their families. It is time to return the Aloha and it most certainly will be returned to you.
Thanking all of you in advance for your Aloha!
Special Message for any past or present celebrities with a home in Hawaii. I welcome contact with you or your agents so I can explain how disastrous this will be for everyone on island if we do not address this issue.
Hawaii thanks you for what you may have given anonymously! In April, I was told Wilcox Hospital in Lihue, Hawaii received funding from a celebrity with ties to Kauai. It really made a difference to the patients and health care workers testing and treating Covid-19 patients.
The beautiful people of Hawaii can remain strong and healthy with just a little Aloha from everyone. Let’s do this! 
Mahalo, Martha